Your Right to Know

The Pickaway County commissioners didn’t think local taxpayers should have to pay for the
autopsy of one of Ohio’s most notorious criminals just because he died in one of the county’s two
prisons.

They complained, arguing that the state prison system should pick up the $1,100 tab for Ariel
Castro’s autopsy. And it did. The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction recently sent
Pickaway County a check. But prisons Director Gary C. Mohr warned that this won’t become a
habit.

He called Castro’s case one of “unique and extraordinary circumstances,” pointed out that state
law clearly says that counties where a death occurs are responsible for autopsy costs and then
added, “any future situations ... shall be handled in accordance with the plain language of the
statute.”

Castro, who kidnapped and tortured three women for years in Cleveland, hanged himself on Sept. 3
at the Correctional Reception Center near Orient. He was pronounced dead at a Columbus hospital,
and the Franklin County coroner charged Pickaway County.

Pickaway County Commissioner Brian Stewart said on Tuesday that he is satisfied.

“Eleven hundred dollars isn’t going to bankrupt this county, but sometimes a fairness principle
comes into play,” he said.

• • •

The city of Columbus’ revitalization efforts in Franklinton took a hit this week when a bakery
that community leaders once held up as a promising sign of change closed after less than two
months.

Becky Stiltner, owner of Becky’s Bakery, posted on Facebook on Tuesday that she couldn’t make a
go of it at 956 W. Broad St.

“While our commitment to Franklinton was sincere and genuine ... Franklinton property owners
must share the same commitment to revitalization and development,” Stiltner wrote. “Sadly for us we
did not have that experience and there comes a point when investment turns to money pit.”

Stiltner said the building is a safety hazard and that property owners Mahmoud Ittayem and
Ismail Haitham made “minimal attempts” to fix heating and water issues. Ittayem and Haitham could
not be reached for comment.

Stiltner opened the store in mid-December partly as homage to her mother who worked in the
building as a waitress when it was the Pop-A-Top carryout in the 1970s.

• • •

Judges in Madison County tend to stick around awhile. The Common Pleas court judge recently
retired after 45 years; now, it’s the Probate and Juvenile judge’s turn to say goodbye.

Glenn Hamilton took the bench in 1985. A
Dispatch story from less than a year later said this: “The word is out among youths on the
street. Hamilton is tough.” It was in reference to his own version of “Scared Straight,” where he
sent local delinquents out to spend time with prisoners at Madison Correctional Institution.

Courthouse insiders speculated for months as to who would seek to replace Hamilton. Yesterday’s
filing deadline for the May 6 Republican primary ended the question: Local lawyers Richard Dunkle
and Christopher Brown are seeking the post.